Could THIS Be the Reason Oprah Relaxed?

[NIN4eva]

Oh Mah Gawd! That is HILARIOUS!!!!

 

[whitedaisez]

It is a fact that kinky hair (my Type 4 definition) is extremely fragile and breaks easily. Even when you are very careful, something as simple as combing can break this texture. It is very difficult to achieve a longer length when the hair breaks, even with simple combing. That being said, there is the style option of wearing braids, dreads, or twists, which allows the hair to grow longer because it is combed less often. Another style choice is to simply wear a shorter cut, which is very attractive on some women but just not right for others.

So when I say to embrace your natural texture, but consider relaxing kinky hair, am I contradicting myself? I don’t think so! You see, even relaxed hair can still be worn naturally. If you want a natural look, but find that your kinky hair is difficult to manage, breaks too easily, lacks shine and luster, and limits your preferred styling options, I say feel free to consider a mild chemical relaxer, sometimes called a texturizer, that eases your hair to a more manageable texture and allows you to Make Peace With Your Hair.

I feel he is contradicting himself.
We all know that the hair does not grow longer just because it has been relaxed. It will retain its fragile nature. In fact, it becomes even more fragile when relaxed! Women with hair in their kinky state can grow hair as long as women with hair in their relaxed state, maybe even healthier. There is nothing less versatile about natural hair. AW has limited options tis' all.

As for those talking about how natural hair takes up too much time...
You dont need to spend time doing your hair EVERY single day. Natural hair is so versatile, you could do styles that lasted every other day, weekly, bi-weekly, or whatever fits your schedule. Natural hair does not have to limit you! It is people who do not embrace and work with their hair, that claim to have difficulties.

 

[Embyra]

There are tons of 4a-4b people here on this very board who STAY in twist or braids MONTH AFTER MONTH year after year permanently because they find their texture breaks very easily or they cant manipulate it frequently without adverse results ..........so andre suggest relaxing or telaxing may ease these problems and enable you more styling options and people dont like thiserplexed

 

[Cherokee-n-Black]

I just think the issue is that the more people promote or default to chemical relaxing, the less aware people are of the myriad of options out there, and the less R & D is put into products that work for non-relaxed hair (well, that's my issue, anyway). This has been the reason that natural hair products have only just now found a market in the last 10 years or so, after almost what--80 years (?) of relaxers and relaxer-like products.

 

[zoromo]

Let me say first off that I am a natural and have been for a long time ( on and off for the past 10+... in total I had a relaxer for less than a year or so). With that said, if a person is having to apply heat on the regular and wear the hair in non-kinky styles to me it causes more damage than a relaxer. The heat to style and the heat to flatten is too much. I do not know him like that, or go to a stylist much at all, nor am I a fan of Oprah, but for ppl in that kind of industry it is a better move to relax if you are going to manipulate the hair on the regular with heat.

 

[whitedaisez]

There are tons of 4a-4b people here on this very board who STAY in twist or braids MONTH AFTER MONTH year after year permanently because they find their texture breaks very easily or they cant manipulate it frequently without adverse results ..........so andre suggest relaxing or telaxing may ease these problems and enable you more styling options and people dont like thiserplexed

If you have a fragile hair texture, relaxing or texlaxing is not going to stop it from breaking easily. Who says it is less possible for a relaxed head to manipulate their hair frequently without adverse results, than a natural?Protective styling is just as recommended and healthy (or even better) for relaxed hair as for natural hair.

Some people dont want to try. Like I said, the moment they start to like ALL the qualities of their hair, will be the moment they begin to discover its full potential.

 

[dynamic1]

I guess I don't see the difference in styling options. My long relaxed hair took a looooong time to achieve the initial style after a wash. My long natural hair may take a little longer but with more experience the gap closes. One thing I could never do with my relaxed hair was wash & go and look decent. I have kinky hair and I can pin it up, pull it back in a bun, wear it loose with different methods - rollerset, bantu knotted braided, rodded, twisted...straightened or unstraightened. What other styling options are there that I am missing? Many kinky haired women wear protective styles if they want to grow their hair long whether it is relaxed or not, right?


Detangling my relaxed hair was easier and ssks are not the business, but these issues aren't big enough to go back to relaxers. Andre claims relaxers are healthier for the hair, but what about the scalp? Isn't this why some people don't relax their kinky hair? Many relaxed heads still use heat and you don't have to use heat more often with natural hair. I guess I just don't understand what Andre is saying about relaxers over heat. That concept only flys if you are wet setting your relaxed hair.